


Home

by blzter14



Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020), Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Post-ACC, Romance, Tifa POV, Tifa's Thoughts, Wholesome Thoughts, domestic life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:14:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25588891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blzter14/pseuds/blzter14
Summary: As Tifa's day ends, she thinks of her time with Cloud and their relationship as time passed amidst all the hardships and trials they faced, all spurred on by a little watch he gave her.
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	Home

“Have a good night!” I called out to one of my regulars, the last customer for tonight.

I stretch my arms up and let out a grunt of satisfaction. Today was particularly busy and I have no idea why.

Have I missed a holiday? A celebration?

I decide to let it go and start cleaning up, closing the bar.

Walking over to the door and locking it before pulling down the blinds, I look down at the watch Cloud gave me.

To anyone that saw it, one would think that either Marlene or Denzel had given it to me with how childish and cartoon-like it looked.

It was a bright yellow colored watch with a Chocobo themed design. The numbers were brightly lit as the arms moved accordingly around without fail and a small screen at the bottom that simply said the word: “Far”

The watch was a gift from him, specifically made and tailored for me while he owned the matching pair. He had secretly commissioned it from Reeve as a personal favor.

It was his own way of moving on and leaving behind the terrible memories of Geostigma, brief though it may have been in the grander scheme of things.

While I had no doubts about him in my mind, it was very thoughtful that he would go as far as to think of this just so he could have some peace of mind that I would be waiting for him.

He was really trying his best and I could see it each and every passing day.

When he wakes the children up.

When he readies my coffee.

When he helps with housework.

When he eats dinner with us.

Anything that involved the family, you name it. He’s done it.

I pick up the disinfectant as well as a washcloth and start getting to work on cleaning the tables. The dishes and glasses were already soaking in the washer.

I look down at my watch again before looking towards the stairs and listening for any commotion from Denzel and Marlene.

Quiet.

Good, they weren’t giving me trouble and had gone to bed earlier than usual as I had asked them to.

Tomorrow was the first day of school and I wanted them bright and early.

I pull the chairs up over the tables before making my way back behind the bar and checking on the dishes and glasses.

All clean.

I take each one out and start wiping them dry before placing them into the drawers, ready for the next day.

I look back down at the watch after some time had passed and smiled.

“Near”

I walk over to the oven and pull our dinner out: Two plates of pasta, still warm.

I put the plates on his usual spot, right at the middle of the bar top.

Looking over at my current selection of alcoholic beverages, I decide to whip us both up something classic.

A Cosmo Canyon should do the trick.

I take my time in mixing the drink, making sure it was perfect before pouring two small glasses halfway.

While most of my nights have been spent waiting for Cloud to return, I felt no worry or fear.

I knew he would always come home. Even during his sickness, my heart knew that he belonged here and that he would find his way sooner or later.

Yuffie called me crazy for still putting up with him- in jest of course but I find myself laughing at the joke.

It wasn’t wrong, but to say that Cloud and I were like other normal people, was the furthest from the truth.

Ours was a special bond, one that not a lot could understand.

Somehow the pieces just fit together perfectly without even trying.

Whether it was fate or just purely out of our own efforts, it didn’t matter.

I would always be waiting for Cloud. I trusted him with my entire being.

The watch made an animated “Kweh!” sound that caught my attention.

“Home”

My smile grows wider just as the telltale growl of Fenrir dies down in the garage behind the bar.

I put a bounce in my step as Cloud comes in the back door: a bit dusty and disheveled but otherwise looking exactly like he did when he left.

“Sorry I’m late Tifa. Here, I got you some fruit from the market in Corel. Had to take the longer way around and well… yeah.” he let off a bit awkwardly.

It was sweet. I shake my head and wipe some dirt off his cheek, letting my hand linger for a bit before taking the fruit from him.

“It’s ok Cloud. Come, we can share and leave some for the kids tomorrow morning.”

He grunts in response and pulls his gloves off, setting them aside along with his riding goggles.

He steps beside me and we wash our hands on the sink, making sure they were clean before we ate dinner together.

The watches never come off, not even once.

It seemed silly but it also felt wrong taking it off.

They were a physical manifestation of our connection and until such time that our relationship grows stronger that the watch is replaced by something else, I’m perfectly happy with it wrapped around my wrist.

Cloud thanks me for the meal and tucks in, making idle conversation about our day.

It was peaceful, comfortable and warm.

Home.

Yes, that was the perfect word to capture this.

Not the city, not the bar, not even our matching watches.

No, home is the people you come to after a long day’s work.

Home was with Marlene and Denzel, safe and sleeping peacefully as children should.

Home was with Cloud, talking and smiling as we got ready for the next day.

Home was with me, forever welcoming him back time and time again.

"Welcome Home, Cloud."


End file.
